Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Underachieving Jets had better refocus before their season slips away from them

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The season is only three games old, but it's time to make like Marty Mornhinweg and signal for a premature timeout to take stock of the New York Jets. Let's be brutally honest:

Except for three brilliant drives to start the game last week in Green Bay, the Jets have been a sloppy, undisciplined football team, unable to execute in clutch situations and unable to capitalize on their opponents' mistakes. One impressive quarter out of 12 is nothing to be proud of. It screams "mediocrity," and the season could get away from them if Rex Ryan doesn't tighten up his ship. And soon.

On Monday night, the Jets fell to 1-2 for the first time since 2008 (hello, Eric Mangini) by giving away a game to the underwhelming Chicago Bears, 27-19 at MetLife Stadium. They spotted the Bears a 14-0 lead, committed three turnovers, performed in the red zone as if it were the first preseason game (a brutal 1-for-6) and surrendered too many third-down plays on defense.

You can't blame this on the undermanned secondary. Clearly, the Jets' problems go beyond the defensive backfield. This starts at the top -- coaching -- and goes all the way to the bottom of the roster. Right now, they're an underachieving team that can't go 10 minutes without making a killer mistake.

"It's not good enough, it's not," linebacker Demario Davis said in a quiet locker room. "This is a winning organization and losing isn't acceptable in that fashion, especially when you lose two games in a row. ... It's disappointing because we're a much better team than we're playing up to. It's not that teams are actually beating us, it's that we're beating ourselves."

That, of course, is what losing teams say when they're looking for an explanation. They also use the phrase "not on the same page," which was heard in every corner of the Jets' locker room.

Geno Smith's mind-boggling interception on a screen pass to Chris Johnson? Surely you remember that blunder, as it was returned for a touchdown by Ryan Mundy on the second play of the game -- the quickest pick-six in the 697-game history of "Monday Night Football."

"We just weren't on the same page," Johnson said.

How about Smith's inexcusable end zone interception on a forced pass to David Nelson?

"Just a case of a receiver and quarterback not being on the same page," Nelson said.

What about the busted coverage on Martellus Bennett's second touchdown reception?

Yep, the defense wasn't on the same page, according to recently signed cornerback Phillip Adams, who appeared to be responsible for the blown coverage -- even though he wouldn't acknowledge it.

The Jets should be better than this; they have to be better than this. They began training camp talking the talk, predicting a playoff season, but they stumbled their way through a close win over the woeful Oakland Raiders, forgot to show up for the last 2 1/2 quarters in Green Bay and squandered countless opportunities against the Bears. Smith will draw most of the criticism, no doubt, but this is more than a Geno thing.

How about the play-calling? It was particularly questionable in the red zone, especially on the third-down play at the 2-yard line in which Mornhinweg decided to call Smith's number on a designed run. He should've given it to Chris Ivory, who was breaking tackles all night. Statistically, this was the Jets' worst red zone performance since 2001, as they managed only one touchdown on six trips inside the 20.

"We know we can play with anybody in this league," Ryan said. "We just need to find ways to win against good teams. That's a hell of a lot easier said than done, but you know what? We've got enough guys in here."

Do they really? Without Eric Decker, who left again with a hamstring injury, the offense is pedestrian. Johnson, such a great runner throughout his career, looks ordinary. The defense is good enough to win at the line of scrimmage, but that secondary? Oh, boy. Antonio Allen actually played reasonably well for much of the game, but he dropped a gimme interception.

Davis said the Jets, who will host Detroit on Sunday, can turn it around as soon as everyone in the organization starts believing.

"That's when we'll turn this city on its head," he said, "and the New York Jets will be who we're supposed to be."

Right now, the only thing upside down is the Jets' season.

 

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